Title: Effect of specimen size on strength reliability of SiC/Al composite

Authors: Yun Lu, Mitsuji Hirohashi

Addresses: Faculty of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33, Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan. ' Faculty of Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33, Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan

Abstract: A tensile test was carried out for SiC/Al composite specimens which have different width. A Monte Carlo simulation using finite element method was performed with changing the width of SiC/Al composite model. The size effect of composite strength and its reliability was examined and discussed. The results showed that composite strength does not appear to have large change but its reliability is improved with increasing the composite specimen width. Effect of specimen width on composite strength and its reliability is dependent on the both factors, that is, (a) the accumulating of fracture process and (b) fibre strength and its scatter of the weaker fibres in the composite. The accumulation of the fracture process is related to the fibre stress distribution in the composite.

Keywords: fibre reinforced metal; SiC/Al composites; tensile testing; Monte Carlo simulation; specimen width; strength; reliability; size effect; FEM; finite element method; composite strength; reliability; fracture; stress distribution.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.2001.005395

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 2001 Vol.16 No.1/2/3, pp.50 - 57

Published online: 01 Oct 2004 *

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